Embates ocellatus (Champion)

Prena, Jens, 2005, The Middle American species of Embates Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Baridinae), Zootaxa 1100 (1), pp. 1-151 : 1-151

14. Embates ocellatus (Champion)

(Fig. 67–70, 242)

Ambates ocellatus Champion 1907: 163 . Lectotype male, Mexico, here designated, labeled: “sp. figured”, “Type”, “ ♂ ”, “Teapa/ Tabasco / Feb. H.H.S.” (BMNH). Paralectotypes 2, here designated: Teapa (BMNH), Mexico, Bowring Coll. (BMNH). Hustache 1938 (cat.); Blackwelder 1947 (cat.); O’Brien & Wibmer 1982 (cat.)

Embates [ ocellatus ]. Alonso­Zarazaga & Lyal 1999 (global combination of all species of Ambates Schönherr 1836 with Embates Chevrolat 1833 )

Redescription. Habitus: Fig. 67, total length 5.4–7.0 mm (m=6.1, n=9). Color: integument piceous, basic vestiture of brown and beige scales, the latter variously clustered; elytra with oblique, semi­circular to pear­shaped macula of black velvety scales immediately behind middle (Fig. 67a, b); scales beige to ochreous in dorsolateral pronotal vitta and around elytral macula. Head: frontal fovea absent, rostrum moderately thick, subcylindrical (Fig. 68), costate dorsomedially, basolateral margin edged, length of rostrum ♂♂ 1.04– 1.32 x (m=1.17, n=5), ♀♀ 1.08–1.30 x (m=1.19, n=2) pronotal length, length of anteantennal portion ♂♂ 0.31–0.34 x (m=0.33, n=5), ♀♀ 0.33–0.40 x (m=0.36, n=2) total rostral length, dorsal margin of antennal scrobe reaching rostral base well before eye; length of funicular segments 1 and 2 subequal, club oblong ovate. Pronotum: length 0.82–1.00 x (m=0.90, n=9) maximum width, shape variable, sides subparallel or rounded in basal half, narrowed toward front, widest in basal half, frontal portion tubulate; disk densely and moderately deeply punctate, intervals granulose. Elytra: length 1.64–1.79 x (m=1.71, n=9) width at humeri, width 1.35–1.56 x (m=1.46, n=9) maximum pronotal width, sides subparallel or slightly converging in basal half, then gradually narrowed toward apex, apices rounded conjointly, preapical callus well developed, striae fine, variously punctate, interstriae flat, 7 (at preapical callus) and 9 costate. Legs: tibiae nearly straight and parallelsided, ventral margin of metatibia distally with (frequently abraded) fringe (♂♂) or cluster (♀♀) of cupreous hairs, tarsal claws curved and separate at base. Male: apex of aedeagus round, middle sclerotized, anterolateral portion membranous (Fig. 69), body of aedeagus of moderate length, angular in basal third, apodemes 1.9 x longer than aedeagus, flagellum thin, shorter than apodemes, transition to curved base gradual, basal appendage moderate, fused laterally to base of flagellum, slightly (aberrant population from Valle Nacional) or distinctly (typical form) projecting beyond base (Fig. 70).

Plant association. Not known.

Distribution. Southern Mexico to Honduras, Atlantic side (Fig. 242).

Material examined. MEXICO. Without location: ( BMNH, MNHP, NMNH) . Chiapas: Palenque ( TAMU) ; 10 km S Rayon ( CWOB 3 , JPPC) . Tabasco: Teapa ( BMNH 2 ) . Veracruz: Los Tuxtlas Biol. St. , 20 mi E Catemaco ( CMNC) . GUATEMALA. Izabal: Cerro San Gil, 8 km N Las Escobas , 800 m ( HAHC) . Verapaz: 7 km NE Purulhá , 1500 m ( HAHC 2 ) . HONDURAS. Santa Bárbara: 13 km SE El Mochito ( CWOB) . Total 15 specimens. Provisionally, I include here following similar but larger specimens: MEXICO. Oaxaca: Hwy 175, 40 km S Valle Nacional, 2250 m ( CWOB) ; 47.5 km SW Valle Nacional , km 100.5, 2125 m ( CMNC) . GUATEMALA. Quezaltenango: Cerro Zunil ( BMNH) .

Discussion. Embates ocellatus is related closely to the E. biguttatus complex. In the majority of cases, specimens of E. ocellatus can be recognized by the elongate­pyriform elytral macula and the produced and subcostate subapical elytral callus. In doubtful cases, the slightly more distal insertion of the antenna should be indicative. The specimens here included under E. ocellatus exhibit notable variation in body shape and meristic data, both within and between local populations. Most noteworthy, the three specimens from high elevations in Oaxaca and Quezaltenango are notably larger than the others, and the elytral maculae are of deviating shape and size.